Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the
NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.
Tonight’s featured beer is North Coast Brewing Company Grand
Cru.
From the North Coast Brewing Company website: “Reminiscent
of North Coast Brewing's Gold Medal-winning Twentieth Anniversary Ale, North
Coast Grand Cru is brewed with pilsner malt and agave nectar, then aged in oak
bourbon barrels.
We've had a good time exploring the brewing possibilities
outside of the standard beer styles. North Coast Grand Cru doesn't fit neatly
into any established category. We brew it exclusively with Pils malt with an
addition of agave nectar in the kettle. The beer is then fermented with the
same Belgian yeast that we use to ferment our North Coast Brewing Le Merle.
It's subtle, complex and lightly hopped with a deceptive 12.5% ABV, and aging
it in oak gives this unique beer an extra dimension. The result is really
"champagne-like."”
Let’s get started!
Appearance: Pours an excellent honey golden color with a
slim off white head and spotty lacing.
Aroma: Belgian yeast and candi sugar, fruit, caramel,
vanilla, oak and spice.
Taste: Vanilla, Belgian yeast and candi sugar, biscuit and
sweet malts, banana, cloves, orchard fruits and oak.
Overall: I completely enjoyed North Coast Brewing Company’s
Grand Cru. I found it to be complex and
delicious although very sweet. The 12.9%
ABV is well hidden. This is certainly a
nice winter sipper. I have a couple more
bottles for cellaring. I believe this
one will mature with some age and be fantastic!
Cheers!
Mark Harvey
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